


Can't Buy Me Love

by chenhuns



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-30
Updated: 2015-04-30
Packaged: 2018-03-26 10:42:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3847915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chenhuns/pseuds/chenhuns
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sehun's sister's wedding is only a week away and he still doesn't have anyone to bring with him. Sehun turns to his last resort - the Internet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Can't Buy Me Love

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for beefnbubbletea.

Sehun looks at his phone screen, eye twitching when he spots ‘Nuna’ on the display. His sister has been calling him all week, reminding him of the wedding next weekend and that he absolutely has to bring someone to meet the family, which also reminds him that he’s sadly single and he has nobody to bring with him. He flips his phone over, effectively cutting off the annoying ring tone before he picks it up again and puts his phone on mute. 

“Is that your sister again?” Chanyeol asks, walking out of their kitchen with a bowl of popcorn in his hands.

“Who else calls this much?” Sehun responds as he scoots over and makes space for Chanyeol on the couch.

“You know, I could always ask one of my friends to pretend to be your boyfriend,” Chanyeol suggests, handing Sehun the bowl of popcorn.

Sehun snorts at his suggestion and shoves a handful of buttery popcorn in his mouth, his other hand grabbing the remote control to start the movie. 

It’s Thursday, and Thursdays are reserved for movie nights because Fridays they both start classes in the afternoon. Sehun and Chanyeol have been roommates since their first year of college, and it’s been three years since the day Chanyeol barged into Sehun’s room to introduce himself as Sehun’s roommate while Sehun was unpacking his stuff. He had been obnoxiously loud, as far as Sehun remembers, not that it makes a difference because he’s just as loud now, if not louder.

Sehun recalls what Chanyeol had said earlier, about asking one of their friends to pretend to be his boyfriend, and he’s ashamed to admit that he’s actually considering the option because with the wedding being a week away, it’s too short a timeframe for him to like someone, woo them and get into a relationship. It seems like getting someone to play the position is the only option he has left. 

He starts going over the faces of their friends in his head, before he decides that there’s no one suitable to play the role. Jongdae is Chanyeol’s boyfriend so he’s off limits. Chanyeol is extremely nice and always gives in to Sehun but he knows Jongdae is not someone Chanyeol is willing to share. Jongin is too familiar to his family, having met them several times as Sehun’s best friend. Kyungsoo is also off limits because he has a crush on this boy named Joonmyun, and his snark is also too much for Sehun to handle. Joonmyun is a friend, but Sehun isn’t close to him like he is with the rest and asking him would make things too much awkward. Not to mention that Kyungsoo might actually murder him in his sleep if he even dares to ask Joonmyun out.

Sehun feels a jab in his side, and he looks over to see Chanyeol looking at him with worry etched on his face. Chanyeol scans his face and Sehun knows there’s no use hiding anything because after all the time they’ve been together, Chanyeol can read him like an open book.

“You’re still worried, aren’t you?” Chanyeol asks, although he already knows the answer.

Sehun nods and doesn’t move as Chanyeol reaches over to grab the remote control and pause the movie. He doesn’t have to apologise to Chanyeol for ruining the movie night with his emotions, because he knows Chanyeol understands. 

“What about my suggestion earlier?”

“I’ve already thought about it. Nobody is suitable enough,” Sehun huffs, biting his bottom lip as he tries to think of more solutions.

“I know what to do,” Chanyeol exclaims, eyes starting to shine and he has _that_ look on his face. 

The kind of look Sehun knows means he’s up to no good.

“Whatever you’re thinking of, no.”

“You haven’t even heard what I was going to say,” Chanyeol whines, poking Sehun in his side. “I was thinking you should consult the Internet.”

Sehun swings his head sharply to look Chanyeol in the eye, and he knows Chanyeol isn’t joking. He can clearly see the determination in his eyes and he lets out a resigned sigh, nodding slightly and rolling his eyes when Chanyeol cheers and runs to get his laptop. He comes back within seconds, settling down again next to Sehun as he opens up a dating website.

“Are you sure this is safe? What if it’s an old man who just wants to get into my pants?” Sehun worries as he watches Chanyeol sign up for him. 

“I’ll go with you if you meet someone from this site,” Chanyeol answers, typing in basic details about Sehun into the profile description. 

“How do you know so much about me?” Sehun squawks when Chanyeol types in that Sehun is extremely clingy after sex.

"I have sources," Chanyeol cackles.

Sehun chooses to keep silent and just watches Chanyeol fill in his profile for him, answering his questions occasionally so that his profile will be somewhat complete. Chanyeol makes sure to state that Sehun is only looking for a pretend boyfriend for a period of two days, and he also puts down that whoever picks the offer up will be handsomely paid. 

"There," Chanyeol says after fifteen minutes, proud at the set up he's done for Sehun. 

"Do you think someone will reply?" Sehun expresses his worry, eyebrows furrowed.

"Don't worry about it. With that face of yours, someone will reply," Chanyeol reassures him, giving him a pat on his shoulder. 

 

The next morning, Sehun wakes up to a few notifications on his phone, mostly texts from Jongin asking him to get his ass out of bed before he misses class and a missed call from Jongdae which is probably also a wakeup call, but the one that stands out the most is a notification from the dating website whose application Chanyeol helped download into his phone the previous night after they'd signed him up. It says that he has new messages and Sehun's shocked when he opens up his inbox in the app to see that he has five. 

He starts from the oldest, sent a mere two hours after he put the ad up, and recoils in disgust when he visits the profile to see a balding old man with a beer belly as his profile picture. Sehun deletes the message immediately, moving on to the next one. It's from someone a few years older than him, and pretty decent looking by Sehun's standards, but his location shows that he’s halfway across the country and it’s simply impossible for them to meet.

A quick look through the other two messages later, Sehun is left with the last one and he's given up all hope by then. He doesn't expect anything much after the creepy messages he's got from the previous two, one of them including the man's address, thankfully nowhere near Sehun, and a lewd picture attached. 

With a sigh he opens the last unread message, sent just 30 minutes before at precisely 8AM, and Sehun briefly wonders who on earth would be browsing through a dating app early in the morning before he taps on the profile with the username _byunbaek_ and gets his answer. 

The cute boy in the picture couldn't be more than five years older than Sehun and a quick look at his basic profile tells him that the boy is only two years older. He’s written down his hobbies like singing and playing the piano, and Sehun is surprised to find out that the boy lives not too far away from him, which makes it convenient. 

to: osen  
from: byunbaek  
hello, i believe you are looking for a pretend boyfriend. let me play the role and help you out. :)

Sehun rubs his eyes to make sure he’s not dreaming and he jumps out of bed to ask Chanyeol for advice, only to walk in on Chanyeol and Jongdae furiously making out against the kitchen counter.

“For fuck’s sake, keep that behind closed doors,” Sehun complains, closing his eyes with his hands. “You’re tainting virgin eyes here.”

“You’re far from a virgin, Sehun,” Jongdae cackles and Sehun decides he hates his guts.

“I got an answer that seems decent enough,” Sehun says, showing his phone screen to the two of them before his phone is snatched away by Chanyeol’s grabby hands.

Sehun looks for food while Chanyeol and Jongdae look through the boy’s profile and joins them afterwards with a bowl of cereal in his hands, peering at the screen to see what they are up to. He chokes on his cereal when he sees Chanyeol type a message to _byunbaek_ and he doesn’t even get to say anything before Chanyeol presses send.

to: byunbaek  
from: osen  
hello, thanks for your reply. are you free to meet on saturday in the evening?

“Are you mad?” Sehun splutters, taking his phone back from his roommate. “Saturday? That’s tomorrow!”

“He’s decent enough, I can tell,” Chanyeol responds. “And very handsome too.”

Sehun rolls his eyes as Jongdae punches Chanyeol on the arm, glaring at his boyfriend. 

“You’re the most handsome to me,” Chanyeol coos, pinching Jongdae’s cheek.

“So fucking gross,” Sehun says as he pretends to puke.

“Wait until you get a boyfriend, Sehun,” Chanyeol retorts.

A _ping_ stops Sehun from coming up with another snarky reply and he unlocks his phone, bringing down his notification bar to see a _new message from byunbaek_.

to: osen  
from: byunbaek  
yes. just give me a place and time :)

“Sehun’s got himself a date,” Jongdae squeals, wrapping his arms around Sehun and squeezing him.

“You’re coming with me, you idiots.”

 

Saturday evening finds Sehun standing by the fountain where Baekhyun had agreed to meet him, Chanyeol and Jongdae sitting not far from him and pretending to be a couple on a date.

_Not that they have to pretend anyway_ , Sehun thinks as he turns away when the two start making out just to piss him off. 

Looking at his watch, he’s aware he’s way too early and there’s still ten minutes to go until their agreed meeting time. Sehun starts feeling nervous, a dozen questions running through his head. What if Baekhyun isn’t really Baekhyun and is actually some old man pretending to be him? What if Baekhyun doesn’t look anything like his profile picture? What if Baekhyun doesn’t show up?

to: osen  
from: byunbaek  
hey, i’m approaching. tell me what you’re wearing?

Well, there goes that last doubt.

to: byunbaek  
from: osen  
white button down and khaki shorts. you?

Sehun looks up from his phone and looks around, trying to look for someone who looks remotely like Baekhyun does in his profile picture. Nobody seems to be approaching him, and Sehun starts to think that Baekhyun is lying and won’t even come. He’s only contemplating running away for five minutes before his phone vibrates with a new message.

to: osen  
from: byunbaek  
walking towards you

Sehun’s head shoots up and then he sees him. Baekhyun is wearing jeans that hug his legs perfectly and a black button down coupled with black boots. He has pretty amazing fashion sense but the only thing Sehun cares about for now is his face, and he doesn’t get to see it because Baekhyun is wearing enormous shades that cover half his face. 

He waits for Baekhyun to come to him, staying rooted in his spot until Baekhyun is just a step away from him. The first thing he notices is that their height difference is ideal and that if they hugged right now, Sehun’s chin would rest perfectly on the top of Baekhyun’s head.

The second thing Sehun takes note of is that Baekhyun looks great in those jeans as they show off the fullness of his thighs and Sehun kind of wants to hold them to see if they’d feel as good in his hands as they look.

The last thing Sehun finds out, after Baekhyun finally removes his shades, is that Baekhyun is absolutely _stunning_.

While Sehun was doubting for so long that Baekhyun actually looked like his profile picture, here he is in the flesh and looking even better than he did on the website. With puppy-like eyes, a cute little nose and pretty pink lips, it’s hard for Sehun to believe that someone as attractive as Baekhyun would agree to play his pretend boyfriend. 

“Sehun, right?” Baekhyun asks, looking up at Sehun.

“Yeah,” Sehun replies, snapping out of his daze. “Hello.”

“Nice to meet you,” Baekhyun smiles, eyes forming crescents and Sehun feels like putting him inside his pocket. 

“Me too,” Sehun shyly smiles, cheeks getting pink. 

From the corner of his eyes, he sees Chanyeol and Jongdae looking at them with wide grins on their faces and Sehun must be looking at them for too long because Baekhyun is slowly starting to turn. Sehun grabs him by the shoulders and turns him to look in the other direction, tearing his eyes away from the couple and meeting eyes with Baekhyun instead. 

“Let’s go somewhere so we can sit down,” Sehun suggests, arm still heavy around Baekhyun’s shoulders.

“Sure,” Baekhyun shrugs.

Baekhyun doesn’t say anything about Sehun’s arm so he keeps it there, marvelling at how tiny Baekhyun is and how he fits perfectly into his half embrace. A quick glance behind and Sehun knows Chanyeol and Jongdae are leaving, both of them waving and showing their thumbs up to Sehun to wish him good luck. 

By the time Sehun turns around to fix his attention on Baekhyun again, which isn’t that long to begin with, Baekhyun is looking up at him with furrowed eyebrows. Sehun clears his throat and removes his arm from Baekhyun’s shoulders, rubbing at his other elbow awkwardly. He doesn’t know what to say to fill the silence but before he can even try to open a topic, Baekhyun stops in his tracks in front of a café and leads Sehun inside after pushing the door open.

The interior is homely and there’s not many people around, and it seems like Baekhyun is a regular because he’s greeting the barista behind the counter with a warm smile and a wave before he brings Sehun to the back where the armchairs are. Sehun sinks into one opposite Baekhyun and he sighs at how comfortable it is.

“Comfy, right?” Baekhyun asks while grinning.

“Very,” Sehun replies, sitting up and leaning against the back of the chair.

Baekhyun insists on getting their drinks and after Sehun puts in an order of a hot vanilla latte, he watches as Baekhyun walks towards the counter to order their drinks. He’s entranced by the slight swing of Baekhyun’s hips as he walks, unable to keep his eyes off Baekhyun in general. His eyes go from his hips to his full thighs, up to his shoulders and his burgundy hair, but they always go back to his hips no matter how hard Sehun tries to keep his eyes somewhere else. There’s just _something_ about Baekhyun that pulls him in and Sehun has to keep reminding himself that this is just a temporary relationship that’s not even real, especially since they haven’t worked out any details regarding their arrangement.

Sehun goes over a few rules in his head and picks out which he thinks are crucial, lost in his thoughts until Baekhyun comes back with two hot cups of coffee and a slice of blueberry cheesecake. 

“We can share,” Baekhyun says, handing a fork over to Sehun who takes it gratefully. “So why do you need a pretend boyfriend? I find it hard to believe someone like you needs someone to pretend,” Baekhyun prompts first, eyebrows raising. 

Sehun colours at Baekhyun’s subtle compliment and doesn’t answer for a while, taking a bite of the cheesecake and then washing it down with a sip of his latte.

“My sister is getting married next weekend and she’s been calling me every single day, reminding me that I need to bring someone with me so I wouldn’t look like, I quote her words, a lonely loser,” Sehun explains.

“Family is so pleasant,” Baekhyun answers, a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

Sehun snorts unattractively and covers his mouth immediately after, meeting eyes with Baekhyun who bursts out laughing at Sehun’s slip up. Seeing Baekhyun laugh so openly makes Sehun giggle too, though he’s still slightly embarrassed he snorted in front of someone he’s just met.

“So which day is the wedding on?” Baekhyun asks after the calms down.

“Sunday, but we’ll have to go on Saturday morning. We’ll leave Monday morning,” Sehun replies. “My friends are going too so we can all go together.”

Baekhyun hums in response and eats some of the cheesecake, silence falling over them for a few moments before Baekhyun starts the conversation again. He asks Sehun to tell him everything he needs to know, like personal habits and his likes and dislikes, so that he can play the role as his boyfriend properly. Sehun fills him in with every single detail he thinks Baekhyun should know, Baekhyun nodding attentively and in return, tells Sehun everything about himself too. In the short two hours that they spent together, Sehun feels like they’ve known each other for a long time already with how much information they have exchanged. 

“Will your family ask about our relationship background?” Baekhyun wonders, draining the last of his drink.

Sehun chokes on his latte because that had not crossed his mind at all. 

“What if we say we met at a café and I approached you first because you were cute and left you my number, about six months ago?” Baekhyun suggests, quickly whipping up a scenario. “Technically, the part about meeting at a café isn’t a lie, and I did give you my number first,” he continues, smirking when Sehun’s cheeks visibly turn pink. 

“Sounds good,” Sehun agrees. “But I don’t have your number.”

Baekhyun promptly grabs Sehun’s phone off the table and keys in his own number, afterwards giving himself a missed call so that he has Sehun’s number too. Sehun lets him do it, only watching with his eyes because Baekhyun is interesting and Sehun’s never met someone like him before. Baekhyun is open and he hardly ever holds back from saying what’s on his mind but Baekhyun surprisingly knows his boundaries. 

“I think I forgot to tell you,” Baekhyun starts. “But I like cuddling.” 

When the two part ways outside the café with an agreement for Baekhyun to come over to Sehun’s apartment on Friday night so they can leave early Saturday morning, Sehun wraps his arms around Baekhyun’s shoulders and pulls him in for a hug. Baekhyun relaxes visibly in his arms and Sehun gulps, liking the feeling of Baekhyun in his arms.

He wills himself not to like it so much because it’ll all be over after the weekend is done anyway.

 

Friday night rolls around quickly, the whole week passing by as Sehun and Baekhyun text each other on a daily basis. Their messages range from _what are you doing? i’m so bored_ to _what if my parents don’t buy our story? my sister has sharp eyes too_ , courtesy of Sehun who’s too scared that his sister would be able to easily tell that they’re not really in a relationship. Baekhyun had to spend an entire night reassuring Sehun that things will be okay, and finally leaves it at _we’ll go over things again on friday. you have nothing to worry about!_

“When is he getting here?” Chanyeol asks, lounging on the sofa with Jongdae in his arms. 

“I’m getting bored,” Jongin adds on, sitting on the floor and leaning against the sofa by Chanyeol and Jongdae’s heads. “And I can’t believe you only told me you found a fake boyfriend after you met him.”

“Let it go, Jongin,” Sehun rolls his eyes, shaking his leg as he impatiently waits for Baekhyun’s arrival. 

The doorbell rings just then and Sehun’s the first one to shoot out of his seat, briskly walking over to their door before any of the three could get to it first. He doesn’t want Baekhyun to get a bad impression of his friends. Sehun loves them, really, but sometimes they can go a little overboard while greeting new people. 

“Hey you,” Sehun greets as he opens the door and sees Baekhyun standing outside. 

“Hey yourself,” Baekhyun grins, stepping in when Sehun moves aside to let him through.

He only has a backpack and his suit in a dry cleaner bag, both of which Sehun takes as he leads Baekhyun into the apartment to meet his three very excited friends who are on their feet by the time they get to the living room.

“Hi, I’m Chanyeol,” Chanyeol introduces himself first, extending his hand for a handshake. 

“Baekhyun,” Baekhyun answers, taking Chanyeol’s hand in his for a firm handshake. 

“This is Jongdae, Chanyeol’s boyfriend, and that’s Jongin, my best friend,” Sehun does the introductions for the other two, handshakes exchanged and Baekhyun barely has time to say anything before Sehun pulls him to his bedroom.

“They seem nice,” Baekhyun comments, putting his bag down at the foot of Sehun’s bed and looking around the room. “Nice room, too,” he hums as he sits on the bed. “And an especially nice bed,” he winks, bursting out in laughter when Sehun turns red and chokes on his saliva.

“We hate to interrupt, but we’re getting hungry and were wondering if you two would like some pizza,” Jongdae interrupts, popping his head into the room. 

“I love pizza,” Baekhyun jumps and follows Jongdae out, only to turn around when Sehun stays in the room, offering his hand out to Sehun with a fond smile. “Are you coming or not?” 

Sehun finds himself unable to say no to that smile and takes Baekhyun’s hand, letting the smaller male lead him out to the living room where the rest of them are gathered. Chanyeol is on the phone, ordering their pizza, and Jongin is setting up their game console for them to play later. Baekhyun follows Jongdae and sits on the couch, pulling Sehun down with him, and grins at him happily before engaging in easy conversation with Jongdae. 

Jongin comes to sit next to him, causing Sehun to lean against Baekhyun who immediately adjusts himself to accommodate Sehun while never breaking conversation with Jongdae. Baekhyun fits into his side nicely and Sehun couldn’t resist the urge to put his arm around Baekhyun’s shoulders, resting on the sofa. He turns and sees Jongin gives him a knowing look but all Sehun does is to kick him in the shin and tell him to shut up. 

Dinner is a quick affair, the five boys chomping down their pizza quickly enough before moving on to video games. Baekhyun and Jongdae sit out of it, choosing to continue their earlier conversation and Sehun is glad they seem to be getting along well. After a few rounds of Chanyeol losing pathetically to Sehun and Jongin, it’s already eleven and they all decide to go to bed so they can get up early the next morning for the long drive to Sehun’s hometown in Chanyeol’s car. 

Jongin takes the couch instead of his usual spot in Sehun’s room, raising his eyebrows while smirking at Sehun who flips him off as he and Baekhyun enter his room. Jongin could have bunked in with Chanyeol and Jongdae who had offered but Sehun knows he’d rather take the couch than share with the couple. 

“Are you ready for tomorrow?” Baekhyun asks, sitting on the edge of Sehun’s bed. 

“Not really,” Sehun answers truthfully, getting his pyjamas from his closet. 

He takes out another pair along with a loose tee and passes them to Baekhyun who takes them and turns away from Sehun to change. Sehun doesn’t look away fast enough to not see the pale unmarked skin of Baekhyun’s back, gulping when Baekhyun unzips his trousers and they start to fall. That’s when Sehun finally has the decency to look away, quickly changing into his own pyjamas. He sees the smooth expanse of Baekhyun’s back even as he closes his eyes, and he mentally curses himself for not looking away earlier.

He wants something that he cannot touch, and that’s bad. 

Sehun clears his throat and tries to clear his mind of such thoughts, turning around when he’s done changing to meet Baekhyun’s eyes from across the room. Baekhyun looks sleepy, eyes half-closed but that doesn’t stop him from being cheeky by asking, “Do I get the honour of sleeping in the same bed as you tonight?”

Sehun shrugs in response and while he’s trying to act calm and neutral on the outside, he can’t deny the slight excitement he’s feeling at the prospect of sleeping in the same bed as Baekhyun.

He climbs into bed, pulling the covers back so Baekhyun can join him as well. The smaller boy gets on the bed and immediately pressed himself against Sehun’s side, seemingly searching for warmth. The air conditioning in his room can get pretty cold, that Sehun knows.

Sehun slides down the bed and pulls Baekhyun with him. He drapes his arm over Baekhyun’s torso the moment the other turns his back, leg sneaking its own way in between Baekhyun’s. Their position is way too intimate for two people who have just met but Sehun finds that he doesn’t mind. He doesn’t mind at well when he has Baekhyun fitting in his embrace like he’s made for it and his nose buried in Baekhyun’s hair that smells like strawberries and vanilla. 

Baekhyun’s hand comes to rest on top of Sehun’s arm, fingers lightly stroking the skin as he hums the both of them to sleep. Sehun feels his eyes close around the same time as Baekhyun’s breathing evens and sleep claims them.

 

The next morning, the five of them pile into the car at eight in the morning with pancakes from breakfast settling in their stomachs, courtesy of Jongdae who got up much earlier to prepare breakfast and some snacks for them to munch on along the way. It’s a four-hour drive with Chanyeol driving, Jongdae sitting up front next to him to keep him awake while the other three sit in the back with Baekhyun in the middle since he’s the smallest among them.

They start their journey enthusiastically, singing along to songs playing on the radio and playing word relay games that cause much laughter because Sehun loses pathetically every round, mostly to Baekhyun who’s unsurprisingly good with words. 

Halfway through their drive, Sehun starts feeling sleepy again and he knows he’s not the only one when Baekhyun leans his head on his shoulder, arm coming around Sehun’s waist as he turns his body slightly to get into a better position for sleeping. Sehun looks down at him while smiling a little at how adorable he looks but the smile is wiped off his face when he looks over Baekhyun’s head to see Jongin smirking. Sehun flips him off when Jongin forms a heart with his fingers while cackling to himself, attracting Jongdae’s attention who looks behind and immediately takes his phone out to snap a few pictures of Baekhyun and Sehun. 

“Idiots,” Sehun mouths at the two of them, rolling his eyes. 

 

Not knowing when he fell asleep, Sehun wakes up shortly before they arrive at his childhood home. Everyone else is awake, including Baekhyun who’s fiddling with his phone and talking to Jongin. Jongdae is busy giving final directions to Chanyeol because even if it’s easy getting to his house, Sehun wouldn’t put it past Chanyeol to get them lost once they get off the highway. 

“We’re here!” Chanyeol exclaims after ten minutes of driving around, parking the car outside and unbuckling his seat belt. 

The five boys climb out of the car, stretching their limbs after being trapped in the enclosed space for so long. Sehun looks up at his parents’ home and dread washes over him because he doesn’t know exactly how to introduce Baekhyun to his parents without feeling the guilt from lying. Baekhyun seems to read him like an open book as he comes up and slips his hand into Sehun’s, squeezing it and looking up to give Sehun a reassuring smile that significantly relaxes him. He’s not alone in this, Sehun remembers, as he looks at his other three friends who are looking back at him, waiting for him to be ready. They had all agreed beforehand to play along just in case any one of Sehun’s family members question them about his and Baekhyun’s relationship. 

“It’s going to be just fine,” Baekhyun reassures him once again as they start walking to the front door.

“I hope so,” Sehun replies, still feeling slightly nervous. 

The door isn’t locked and Sehun pushes it open first, stepping into the living room with his friends behind him. His sister is sitting on the couch surrounded by flowers which Sehun assumes are to be part of her bouquet. Sehun’s sister has always liked making her own arrangements and it seems like her bouquet isn’t an exception. 

“Sehun’s here!” his sister shouts after she hears them coming in, immediately jumping up and running to her brother to tackle him into a giant hug. 

“Nice to see you too, nuna,” Sehun smiles, squeezing his sister before they pull apart. 

Sehun’s parents walk out from the kitchen and Sehun’s instantly pulled into a hug by his mother while his father gives him a fond smile. He misses this, his mother’s warmth and being surrounded by family. He momentarily forgets his friends are behind him and it isn’t until he hears his sister’s surprised gasp that he remembers he has someone he needs to introduce to them all. He pulls away from his mother’s embrace, reaching out for Baekhyun’s hand and pulling him to his side.

“This Is Baekhyun,” Sehun introduces. “He’s my boyfriend.”

Baekhyun bows in greeting to Sehun’s parents first and then to his sister, smiling widely. Sehun’s been thinking of how his parents would react ever since the night before but what he doesn’t expect is for his mother to give Baekhyun a hug and his father to welcome Baekhyun into the family.

“He’s so pretty,” his sister comments, still looking at Baekhyun. “Honestly, what do you see in my brother?” 

“Well,” Baekhyun starts to answer. “For starters, he’s extremely sweet even if he doesn’t look like it.”

Sehun can’t help the blush that colours his cheeks even when he knows it’s a lie. His sister snorts, causing their parents and his friends to laugh and Sehun lightly punches her in the stomach. Just like that, the initial introduction is over and on his mother’s suggestion, Sehun brings all four up to the guest bedrooms. Baekhyun naturally will be sleeping in his room and Jongin doesn’t have a choice but to room with Chanyeol and Jongdae. 

“That wasn’t so bad now, was it?” Baekhyun asks the moment they’re behind closed doors. 

“It definitely went better than expected,” Sehun answers, sitting on his childhood bed and patting the space next to him for Baekhyun to sit. 

“I told you there’s nothing to worry about. My acting skills are exceptional,” Baekhyun grins. 

Sehun has been trying to not think about it but now that Baekhyun has mentioned it, it hits him hard. He doesn’t like to think about how Baekhyun will be gone once the weekend is over and how he will probably never see him again unless they meet by chance on the streets. Sehun’s getting used to being around the smaller man and he knows that once Baekhyun leaves, it will make a significant difference in his life that will be difficult to ignore. 

“Sehun, get your ass down here and make yourself useful!”

Sehun snaps out of his thoughts and sighs, recognising his sister’s voice. He turns to face Baekhyun who’s laughing openly at him knowing that Sehun will be subjected to torture by flowers and commands from the bride-to-be for the next few hours. He only hopes it won’t be as horrible as he has pictured it to be in his head.

It turns out to be worse than what Sehun had expected, going to bed that night with pricks all over his hands from all the thorns on the flowers.

But at least he has Baekhyun unconsciously cuddling up to him the moment he climbs into bed. Sehun wraps his arms around him without feeling guilty that Baekhyun isn’t awake to give his permission. He figures he should make use of and treasure what little time they have together. 

 

The wedding is a joyful affair with all their close family and friends gathered but Sehun can’t stop the tears from falling as his sister walks down the aisle, beautifully dressed in a white wedding gown and a huge bouquet in her hands that Sehun had helped her with the night before. His only sister is now married and Sehun briefly wonders if she will still put up with his nonsense on the nights he calls her when he misses home. 

“Cheer up, bud,” Jongin comforts him, draping his arm around Sehun’s shoulders. 

“You still have me,” Chanyeol pipes in which has Sehun chuckling.

A hand slips into his and Sehun knows it’s Baekhyun’s, giving him a reassuring squeeze and Sehun wishes he’d stop doing that. He wishes Baekhyun will stop acting like his boyfriend, which is ironic because that’s what Sehun is _paying_ him to do, because his acting is way too real and even though he knows that this is all for show, Sehun feels himself helplessly falling for him, slowly but surely. It gets worse with every smile he gets.

Alcohol is served at the dinner reception and Sehun realises he doesn’t know how much Baekhyun can take before he gets drunk as he watches Baekhyun down glass after glass. He looks upset but he refuses to tell Sehun why and Sehun doesn’t push him. After all, who is Sehun to Baekhyun except someone who needs his services to fool his family?

“I think you’ve had enough,” Sehun gently prods, taking the glass away from Baekhyun’s hands. “Let’s go back.”

Baekhyun turns his head so swiftly it catches Sehun by surprise, staring him in the eye while squinting. Baekhyun seems to be judging him and Sehun lets him, maintaining the eye contact until Baekhyun is the first to look away. His head falls on Sehun’s shoulder, falling asleep and Sehun sighs. He’s lucky the wedding reception is not that far from home and he gathers all his friends so they can head home to rest and charge up for the drive back the next day. 

Sehun literally drops Baekhyun on the bed the moment he steps into his room, the weight making his arms numb from when he carried Baekhyun all the way from the car. Baekhyun’s completely passed out, unaware of his surroundings and Sehun shakes his head at how much of a lightweight he is. At the same time, Sehun is also worried because even if he doesn’t know Baekhyun that well, he’s pretty sure Baekhyun should have known his own drinking limits to make sure he doesn’t go overboard. There must be a reason for his drinking earlier that night. 

“Sehun,” Baekhyun mumbles, attracting Sehun’s attention.

Baekhyun’s hand claws at his tie and Sehun takes the hint to undress him. He only takes off the dinner jacket, leaving Baekhyun’s shirt on because he’s not wearing anything underneath. As he’s fumbling with the knot on Baekhyun’s tie before pulling it off, Baekhyun’s eyes open and catch Sehun by surprise who freezes. 

“Sehun,” Baekhyun murmurs, hand coming up to grab at Sehun’s shirt before he pulls him down.

Sehun’s eyes widen when their lips meet, Baekhyun’s grip surprisingly strong and Sehun can’t pull away no matter how hard he tries. Baekhyun’s lips are as soft as they look and Sehun gasps when Baekhyun’s tongue drags along his lower lip. As much as Sehun wants this, Baekhyun is drunk and, even if he’s the one initiating it, Sehun doesn’t want to kiss Baekhyun this way - not when Baekhyun probably won’t even remember it happened the next morning when he wakes up. He tries his hardest to pull away, finally succeeding when Baekhyun’s mouth suddenly goes lax as he falls asleep. 

“Well, shit,” Sehun mumbles to himself, bringing his hand up to touch his lips, eyes on Baekhyun the entire time. 

All Sehun can do now is to pray fervently that Baekhyun doesn’t remember the accidental kiss happened because if he does, all it will do is complicate things when they’re supposed to end the deal tomorrow the moment they get back. 

 

Baekhyun doesn’t remember the kiss that happened the night before. Or if he did, he doesn’t mention it. Sehun’s relieved but at the same time half of him wants Baekhyun to remember so that maybe he’d want to take responsibility and not part ways so soon.

They bid goodbye to Sehun’s family, Sehun getting a little teary-eyed, before they get into the car and pull out of the driveway. The seating arrangement is the same as the one on the way there and Sehun can feel Baekhyun’s breath against his neck as Baekhyun dozes off on his shoulder again. There’s a lot of things going through Sehun’s mind, like how he doesn’t want to say bye to Baekhyun just yet and how he’s grown far more attached than he expected in the short week he’s known Baekhyun. He’s not sure if they can remain friends after this because their relationship is meant to be a business one right from the start and while he certainly wants to continue their friendship, he doesn’t know if Baekhyun feels the same way.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Jongin asks quietly, eyes trained on Sehun’s face.

Sehun takes a quick glance at Baekhyun and when he looks up again, a look of realisation dawns upon Jongin's face. The look on his face reads _I knew it_ and Sehun silently groans. Trust Jongin to know he'd fall for Baekhyun that easily.

Sehun's phone vibrates just then and he opens up the message immediately, knowing that it'll be Jongin.

from: nini  
i knew u were going to like him. he's totally ur type. go for it 

to: nini  
did u forget this was a business deal from the start

from: nini  
it can change

to: nini  
i highly doubt it

"Stubborn bitch," Sehun hears Jongin mumble under his breath before he pockets his phone.

Baekhyun stirs in his sleep and Sehun settles for a glare in Jongin's direction instead of the retort he was trying to think of. Jongin responds by rolling his eyes and looking in the other direction, ultimately leaving Sehun alone to his thoughts. Sehun wonders why he has such kind friends.

 

The ride back home seems shorter and as the time to say goodbye to Baekhyun comes closer, Sehun gets more fidgety even with the cause of his problems sleeping peacefully on his shoulder. Jongin notices Sehun's condition but doesn't say anything, convinced that he's said what he needed to say in their text message exchange earlier and that whatever Sehun wants to do next is entirely up to him.

"Okay, we're here," Chanyeol announces as he pulls up outside his and Sehun's apartment building.

One by one they alight, Sehun being the last following just after Baekhyun. Baekhyun seems to hesitate when the rest enter the building but Sehun pulls him along because he’d rather say bye in his apartment than on the sidewalk where it’s less personal. When he wraps his hand around Baekhyun’s wrist he’s cold, much colder than Sehun remembers.

“Sehun, wait,” Baekhyun calls out when Sehun practically drags him inside the building to the lift lobby.

The other three have gone ahead first and there’s no one around so it’s only the two of them. Baekhyun pulls his wrist free from Sehun’s grip and Sehun lets go albeit reluctantly, turning to face him only to see Baekhyun deeply frowning. His heart sinks.

“I don’t think I should go up,” Baekhyun says, biting on his lower lip.

“Oh,” Sehun dumbly replies.

Baekhyun starts to fidget, fingers playing with the hem of his shirt and he looks so nervous and it’s not the Baekhyun Sehun knows at all. Sehun suddenly realises that the Baekhyun he knows, the Baekhyun that Baekhyun has showed him these past few days, may not be the real Baekhyun at all.

“I guess this is it?” Sehun asks, hesitance obvious in his tone.

Baekhyun looks at him, locking eyes and Sehun can see his emotions clearly reflected there. Baekhyun has his eyebrows furrowed and pinched together, the corner of his lips turned down, and Sehun knows he's just waiting to go. With a sigh, Sehun pulls out an unmarked brown envelope from his bag and looks at it momentarily before handing it to Baekhyun. Baekhyun takes it with a shaky hand, pocketing the envelope without even double checking the contents.

"I had fun, you know," Sehun says, trying not to choke. "Thank you for helping me."

"You're welcome," Baekhyun replies with the slightest hint of a smile on his face. "I had fun too."

With that, Baekhyun shoots Sehun a final small smile and turns to walk away. Just like that, Sehun watches Baekhyun walk out of his life for good.

 

The following days aren't really pleasant. Sehun spends his time trying to keep his mind off a certain boy by busying himself with assignments and revision. Chanyeol tries to convince him to meet up with their friends but all he gets in response from Sehun is a little shake of his head and silence. Even when Jongdae presents him with a steaming hot plate of delicious dinner, Sehun only takes a few bites before pushing the plate away from him with a mumble of _i'm not hungry_.

Jongin bombards Sehun with multiple texts and calls but Sehun only replies to the important ones and ignores Jongin's questions regarding his well-being. He drops by every other day but Sehun ignores him too, choosing homework over best friend even when there isn't really any to do.

 

It takes a week before anyone takes action. On Saturday night, Jongin barges into Sehun's room and forcefully pulls him out of his chair, afterwards grabbing his shoulders to force him to look at Jongin.

"I'm not allowing you to do this to yourself," Jongin growls. "Look at you! I can count on one hand the amount of times you've eaten in this past week!"

Sehun doesn’t have anything to say when he looks in the mirror. He has gotten thin, like Jongin had said, and he looks horrible. He has dark eye circles and unkempt hair. He hadn’t realised how much he’d let his feelings consume him until now.

“I’m sorry,” Sehun manages to croak out, willing the tears forming in his eyes not to fall.

Jongin visibly softens at his best friend’s tears and gathers him up in his arms, giving him a tight squeeze and just holding him as Sehun sobs into his shoulder. Sehun grabs at the back of Jongin’s shirt, pulling him impossibly closer. He feels Jongin’s hand go through his hair and travel down his back, whispering soothing words into Sehun’s ear which gradually calms Sehun down enough to pull away and wipe at his own tears.

“The guys haven’t seen you in a long time,” Jongin softly says. “Come out with us tonight.”

“Where are we going?” Sehun asks, grabbing his towel to take a quick shower.

“Kyungsoo managed to convince Joonmyun into holding a party at his house,” Jongin explains, rummaging through Sehun’s closet for some clothes for the both of them. “His parents are out of town for the weekend.”

When Sehun comes out from the shower, Jongin has already changed into one of his shirts and has laid out an attire for him. He quickly slips them on, runs gel-slicked hands through his hair and then they’re both out of the apartment in fifteen minutes. Jongin keeps saying that they’re both late but Sehun doesn’t really see what the big issue is when Jongin has brought Chanyeol’s car with him. 

They arrive on the other side of town where Joonmyun lives in twenty minutes, Sehun exiting the car with a green face and wobbly legs. Jongin calls him weak and Sehun flips him off, taking a few minutes to stabilise himself before he deems himself ready for social interaction. Music is blasting so loud that they can hear it from outside and it already sounds like fun.

“Are you coming or not?” Jongin calls out from the doorstep.

Sehun walks up to where Jongin is standing and they enter the threshold together. Sehun’s immediately greeted by music that’s way too loud playing through enormous speakers and possibly more than a hundred people dancing all holding cups undoubtedly filled with alcohol.

“You made it!” Chanyeol shouts, coming close to Sehun to tackle him into a hug. “I missed you, bud.”  
“Sorry,” Sehun apologises, wrapping his arms around Chanyeol’s broad shoulders and squeezing him before letting go.

Sehun goes through many more hugs before he’s free to party it up, mostly from their group of friends who were worried about him the whole week. He’s issued apologies to all of them and they had accepted it except for one. Kyungsoo had told him to go fuck himself if he was going to make them worry like that again but the warm hug he gives Sehun immediately afterwards lets Sehun know that really, Kyungsoo has accepted his apology too.

A red cup is forced into Sehun’s hand and he looks up to see Jongin grinning at him with a similar cup in his own hands. He trusts him enough to down the contents of the cup, flinching at how strong it is. Sehun licks his lips afterwards, thirsting for more alcohol and he’s about to head to the kitchen to get some more when Jongin stops him with a hand on his arm.

“What?” Sehun asks.

“Follow me,” Jongin says into his ear, walking towards the stairs up to the second floor.

Sehun chooses to follow wordlessly, curious to find out what Jongin has up his sleeve. They stop at the landing, standing at the start of the hallway leading to the bedrooms.

“I’m not sleeping with you.”

“Gross,” Jongin shudders.

“Then what are we doing here?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

Jongin leads Sehun down the hallway to the last bedroom on the floor, opening the door and then pushing him in forcefully. Sehun stumbles on his feet and turns around to ask Jongin what game he’s trying to play but what he gets is a door slammed in his face. He hears Jongin play with the lock from outside and when he tries to pull the door open, it doesn’t budge.

“This isn’t funny, Jongin,” Sehun sighs.

“Sehun,” a voice calls softly from behind and Sehun freezes in his spot, his hand going still on the door knob.

He’d recognise that voice anywhere. It’s been haunting him for the past week anyway.

Sehun turns around, meeting eyes with the very boy he’s been trying to forget.

“Baekhyun,” Sehun whispers, still doubting.

“Hi,” Baekhyun greets with a grin.

Sehun’s feelings hit him hard with that smile. His heart starts beating quicker in his chest and he realises he hasn’t been able to forget Baekhyun in the past week no matter how hard he’s been trying. His feelings only grew stronger with the absence and the sudden realisation knocks the breath out of his lungs and he can’t breathe.

“What are you doing here?” Sehun asks, trying to keep calm.

He stays in his spot although every part of him is screaming to run forward and touch Baekhyun. He’s missed him so much and all he wants to do is to touch him to make sure he’s really there because even now as they’re talking, Sehun still can’t believe that Baekhyun is right here in front of him when he thought he’d never see Baekhyun again.

“I arranged this, you know,” Baekhyun starts, taking a few steps forward until he’s within Sehun’s reach. “I met Jongin on the streets the other day and asked him how you’ve been and if there’s any way I could meet with you again.”

“But you have my number,” Sehun retorts.

“Texting and calling isn’t really my thing,” Baekhyun shrugs, coming closer to Sehun.

With Baekhyun so close to him, Sehun can’t help but let his eyes roam. His long eyelashes create shadows on his skin under the light and his lips are as pink as Sehun remembers them being. Seeing his lips brings back memories of the accidental kiss and Sehun unconsciously licks his own lips, half of him wanting to taste Baekhyun’s lips on his once again. The corner of Baekhyun’s lips lifts up and he’s smirking and that’s when Sehun realises he’s been staring for too long.

“And so?” Sehun clears his throat, bringing his eyes back up to meet Baekhyun’s.

“So,” Baekhyun continues, fingers reaching out to play with Sehun’s collar. “I was wondering if you’d like to start over.”

“Start over,” Sehun repeats, going over the words again and again in his head.

“Yes, start over,” Baekhyun reassures him, fingers moving down Sehun’s torso and his hand eventually goes underneath Sehun’s shirt to stroke at the skin just above the waistband of his pants.

Baekhyun’s fingers are doing wonders to him and Sehun steps back in order to make his decision rationally, pulling Baekhyun’s hand out from under his shirt. Baekhyun’s face falls for a moment before he wears the same mask of confidence he’s been wearing before and Sehun realises that Baekhyun is just as scared as he is.

“You could have just stayed a week ago.”

“Honestly,” Baekhyun sighs. “I was wondering if I should but then I decided I shouldn’t, God knows why. Do you remember on the drive back, when I was sleeping on your shoulder?”

Sehun nods.

“I saw the text messages you and Jongin exchanged. God, you really need to turn down your phone’s brightness, by the way,” Baekhyun confesses. “Anyway, I knew I stood a chance but I really don’t know why I walked away, especially after the kiss.”

Baekhyun looks like he genuinely regrets his decision and that’s enough for Sehun to make up his mind and forget the fact that he did remember their accidental kiss. He curls his hand behind Baekhyun’s neck and pulls him in, his other arm going around Baekhyun’s waist. He smiles a bit and Baekhyun grins back, leaning forward to seal their lips together. It’s even better than their last because Baekhyun actually knows what he’s doing, dragging his tongue along Sehun’s bottom lip and licking inside Sehun’s mouth when he gasps. Baekhyun’s arms wrap around Sehun’s waist, one hand dangerously going south and slips into the back of Sehun’s pants as Baekhyun bites down gently on Sehun’s lower lip. Sehun lets Baekhyun take charge, groaning lowly when Baekhyun thrusts his hips forward to meet Sehun’s.

“I can’t hear them anymore,” a voice that sounds eerily like Jongin hisses from outside.

Sehun and Baekhyun pull apart, Sehun shrugging when Baekhyun raises his eyebrows. The two of them inch closer to the door, careful not to make any noise.

“They’re probably making out,” Kyungsoo comments, sounding confident and Sehun’s sure he’s got his arms crossed.

“I bet Baekhyun tops,” Chanyeol says, and a loud smack is heard which Sehun assumes is Jongdae hitting his boyfriend on the back of his head.

“It doesn’t concern you who tops,” Jongdae hisses in reply.

Baekhyun giggles quietly in Sehun’s ear and Sehun stifles his laughter, hands around Baekhyun’s waist as Baekhyun’s own arms are around his neck and he’s practically hanging off Sehun.

“Shall we give them a show?” Baekhyun whispers into Sehun’s ear, licking at the earlobe afterwards.

Sehun shudders and instantly locks his lips with Baekhyun’s once again, his back hitting the door with a loud thud as Baekhyun pushes him up against it. Baekhyun is surprisingly strong yet he’s kissing Sehun languidly, hands slowly roaming his torso until a few fingers dip into the front of his pants. Sehun moans loudly and it’s not just for show because Baekhyun is stroking him through the fabric of his pants, his cock stirring with every movement. It gets a little too much when Baekhyun presses his hips against Sehun’s. Sehun can feel Baekhyun’s hardened cock against his thigh as Baekhyun rubs against him purposefully, his lips moving from Sehun’s mouth to plant kisses down his neck.

“Shit, they’re really going to fuck,” Sehun hears Jongin curse before he hears all of them run from the door.

Baekhyun pulls apart from Sehun, bursting out in laughter at how good they’ve caught them but Sehun only growls, effectively cutting off Baekhyun’s laughter as Sehun pushes him backwards until the back of his knees hit the edge of the bed in the room and Baekhyun falls backwards.

“Surely you don’t plan on stopping?” Sehun asks, eyebrow raised as he looks down at the bulges in both their pants.

“Certainly not,” Baekhyun smirks, wrapping his legs around Sehun’s waist to pull him down, hand coming up to grab at Sehun’s hair as he claims his lips again. “Just to be clear,” Baekhyun murmurs against Sehun’s lips. “You’re exclusively mine from today.”

Sehun hums in response, flipping their positions so Baekhyun is on top of him. Baekhyun grinds his hips down once, twice and has Sehun throwing his head back, groaning loudly.

“This is going to be fun,” Baekhyun smirks down at Sehun as his hands start to pull down Sehun’s zipper.

 

Later after they’re done, when Sehun has his head on Baekhyun’s chest with Baekhyun carding his fingers through Sehun’s hair, Baekhyun pulls out the brown envelope Sehun had given him the week before. 

“I don’t need it when I have you,” Baekhyun smiles.

Sehun tucks the envelope away without a word, pulling Baekhyun down for a kiss and Baekhyun climbs on top of him, more than ready for round two.


End file.
